” slingshot hip hop ” is the first feature-length documentary about the palestinian hip hop movement. at the cutting edge of this emerging middle eastern youth culture, it is a fresh, complex and energizing window into contemporary life in palestine and israel, and into one of the many identities that arabs are exploring today. the documentary braids together the stories of young palestinians living in israel, gaza, and the west bank as they discover hip hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. from internal checkpoints and separation walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the
borders that separate them. on the one hand, ” slingshot hip hop ” penetrates as it shows how the destruction of palestinian homes, daily humiliation, violence and military attacks drain young palestinians’ energies. on the other hand, brings home the question, “ who’s the terrorist? ” as it follows the short history of Palestinian rap and its well-known pioneers.